Bathing suit removable while



Dec. 7, 1937. H. BAcHELls R@ 20,567

BATHING SUIT REMOVABLE WHILEDRESSED Original Filed Ncv. 8,' 1933 Reissued Dec. 7, 1937 PATENT oFFlcE-f' BATHING SUIT BEMVABLE WHILE DRESSED Leonard H. Bacheiis, Los Angeles, Calif., assigner,

by direct and mesne assignments, to Olympia Knitting Mills, Inc., Olympia, Wash., a corporation of Washington riginal No. 1,995,531, dated March 26, 1935, Se-

rial No. 697,130, November 8, 1933. Application for reissue May 29, 1935, Serial No. 24,099

'I'his invention relates to an improvement in a bathing suit, and the principal object is to provide a garment that can be placed on or removed from a person (ease of removal being particularly important) while he is dressed or`sumciently clothed to avoid indecent exposure while preparing to take a public plunge, or dressing afterwards.- To that end lI provide bathing trunks, the

upper end portion of which preferably terminates at the waist, and at 'each side is slit from top to bottom down overv the hips, to provide front and back pieces connected through the crotch. 'I'he adjacent edges of veach such piece, along the slit, are provided with quick-detachable fasteners, such as slide fasteners, which when connected and. latched hold the edges together and the trunks snugly fitted to a persons body, and which, when unlatched and disconnected, permit the trunks to be placed on or removed while the body is fully clothed; that is, to put on the trunks it is only necessary to extend the back or front portion, as the case may be, through the crotch, to

hold it up so that the front and back of the person of the wearer are covered, and then to connect and latch together the fastener elements along the adjacent side slits. Similarly, to remove the trunks it is only necessary to unlatch and disconnect the slidevfasteners at each side, whereupon the front and back portions of the suit remain joined together only through the crotch, and then to pull either the front or the back, as the wearer may prefer, through the crotch.

It is lobvious that when the front and back pieces are connected by the fastening elements, constituting a closed metal seam, the bathing suit Willcover the crotch, hips and `waist portions of the wearers body from objectionable exposure, `so that the usual clothing can be removed.

Itis also obvious that after a person has nished bathing he can then put on his usual clothing, at least his trousers, after which the slide fastener lelements may be unlatched and disconnected by reaching down under the trousers, and the trunks can then be removed by catching them either at the front or back and then drawing them out between the wearers legs and from under the usual clothing.

Another object of the invention is'to provide an (Cl. tlf-224) which when used as a part of a pair of trunks gives independent freedom to the parts held by the supporter, regardless of the movement of the trunks or their lack of movement.

-A feature of the invention is shown in providlng a trunk of exceedingly neat and pleasing appearance, that is formed ccmpactly and also strongly reinforced at the crotch or narrowest portion of the garment upon which fallsthe strain of pulling through, and the edges of the crotch portions of the garment are hemmed so that they are very strong and are also curved so the outer one fits snugly around the wearers legs, andthe inner one acts as the usual athletic supporter, but is movable independently of the trunks themselves.

AOther cbjectaadvantages and features of the invention may appear from the accompanying 1 drawing, the detailed description and the appended claims.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the invention, in which many parts are indicated semidiagrammatically.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of trunks conporter and the trunks, and also Ashowing the openposition of the garment when ready -to be placed on or when it is removed from a wearer.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view of a modied form cf a supporter disconnected from the suit and provided vwith a plurality of hook and eye fasteners, whereby it can be adjustably secured to a persons waist.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary viewofthe upper portion of the modified form of supporter showing a hook and eye fastener connected on -one side thereof. v-

In detail the garment includes the-front and rear portions I0 and II that are integral through the short crotch portion I2. The parts l0 and I I are similar as to length, width and general form except that the yfront part is preferably provided with a-buttoned pocket 29 and a false ny SII. The parts Ill and II are cut so they form by which the complementary parts I1 and I8- Ythat can be completely separated as by the manipulation of a sliding body from end to end of a slit. may be used.

As best illustrated in Figure 2 this form of fastener includes the separable support or anchor I9 at its lower end and the usual slide bodyare brought together in an interlocking manner, and separated by a reverse movement; and the body 20 is provided with the usual latching lever 2| which is operated in the usual way to hold the body in a ilxed position or to release it so it can be moved to disconnect the parts I1 and I8. `1 No claim is made for this fastener apart from its use in connection with this bathing garment, consequently it is not shown and described in complete detail, it being understood that its purpose is to detachably latch and hold the adjacent edges'of the portions I3 and I4 and I1 and I8 together when the garment is in use, andv completely yseparable when the. garment is to be removed.

The trunks are provided with an inner crotch cover yor supporter 22 which can be sewed into the garment as best shown in Figure 4; or if desired, this supporter 22 can be formed and Worn separately as fragmentarily indicated in Figures '5 and 6.

As seen therein the adjacent edges 23 and 24. that extend centrally and vertically over a persons hips and sides are provided with the hooks 25 and eyelets 26 so they can be easily and quickly secured to hold thel supporter in place, and preferably there are a plurality' of the sets of eyelets 26 so the waist portion of the supporter can be properly adjusted around the wearers waist. The supporter is narrower at the crotch than the trunks; and its ends are extended sidewise to the full width of the garment; and has the ends and side edges secured by sewing to the waist of the trunks. 'I'hese extended ends are arranged to completely encircle a person's body at the waist line to reinforce the trunks and also to aid in supporting the weight of the supporter when wet. l

The top portion 21 of the waist is preferably formed of or incorporates elastic material and may also be provided with belt straps 28 so a person can wear a belt if so desired.

Also I.may provide a buttoned pocket 29 in the front of the garment inwhich valuables such as' rings can be placed for safe keeping while bathing.

I also provide a false ily SII down the front portion of the garment to enhance its appearance. i

The crotch portion I2 of the trunks is preferably reinforced with an elliptical shaped Igusset II2 that has its pointed end portions 2I2 extended upward some distance along the front and back parts I0 and II. Also this crotch portion I2 is slightly wider than the narrowest portion ofthe supporter 22, and its opposite semi-elliptical edges are preferably reinforced with hems 312, and curved so they flt snugly around the upper portions of-a wearers thighs. The supporter is arranged to hold the privates up in close contact with the body to avoid unsightly protrusions, and permits freedom of movement relative' to and independently of the trunks themselves. The gusset Il2, -likewise the hemmed edges SI2, constitutes reinforcement to take ythe strain of pulling the garment through the crotch, and they prevent the trunks being stretched at this point.

Preferably the supporter has its waist portions the same width as the parts III and II and extended up to the elastic portions 21; these waist portions may be secured at their ends to the portions ID and II by stitches 3l, so the center portion of the supporter can swing or move independently of the trunks.

The edges of the supporter are preferably hemmed and curved in toward a center point X as best shown in VFigures 4 and 5.

While the value ofthe garment will be found chiefly in the ability to take it off' from beneath outer clothing, since the wearer may usually put it on while at home, and put on trousers over it, it is nevertheless possibleto insert the back portion I l, for example, `through the crotch, to draw it up at the back, and then to connect the iastener elements I1 and I8 along each side seam,

thus to put on the trunks, while still clothed in trousers. It is obvious, from what has been said, that the trunks can be removed while clothed by a reversal of the foregoing described actions in putting the suit on,.reaching down insidel the trousers to release the slide fasteners I1 and I8 by moving the slide body 20 downwardly, and disconnecting lthe separable anchor I9, then drawing the back portion II through the crotch. If the supporter is worn separately, the hooks 25 may be disengaged from the eyelets 2B, and this,

too, may be drawn through in the same manner.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A bathing suit that has its upper end terminating at the waist in a two-piece elastic band, said suit being so constructed that it can be placed on and removed while the wearer is fully clothed, and including a front body portionsecured to one piece of said elastic band and adapted to extend half way around the lower part of the wearers body and hips, a back body portion, that is of substantially the'same width, length and i'orm as the front portionfsecured to the second piece of said elastic band and adapted to extend around the other half portion o! the wearers body and hips, detachable metal fasteners for connecting the adjacent side edges oi said front and back body portions into closed metal seams, an outer crotch cover integral with the lower parts oi' said i'ront and back portions of said suit, and aninner crotch cover having a vnarrow center portion and having ends of substantially the same width as the length oi.' the4 lower edges of said elastic half-bands and joined edge to edge therewith so that the narrow cen- 'ter portion of said inner crotch cover is held centrally above said outer crotch cover.

2. -A bathing suit that has its upper end terminating at the waist in a two-piece elastic band,

said suit being so constructed that it can` be placed on and removed while the wearer is i'ully clothed, and including a front body portion secured to one piece of said elastic band and adapted to extend half way around the lower part of a wearers ,body and hips. a back body portion,

that is of, substantially the same' length, width and form as the front 'portion secured to the second piece of said elastic band and adapted to vgripping means and formed to extend half-way extend around the other half of the wearers body, detachable metal latching fasteners for joining the adjacent edges of said front and back body portions, edge to edge. in metalseams, an

outer crotch cover integral with the front and back portions of said suit, a reinforcing strip having two pointed ends, and a wider intermediate portion, secured centrally and on the outside of said outer crotch cover, an inner crotch cover narrower than said outer cover and having end portions of the same width as the upper edge of said front and rear body portions of said suit and secured thereto so that its center portion is free to move independently oi the body portions of the suit and outer crotch cover thereof.

3. A swimming garment terminating at its upper edge in waistgripping means to supportthe garment upon a wearer, and including a front portion incorporating a portion of the waist around the lower part of the wearers body and hips, a back portion that is of substantially the same width, length and form as the front portion, and incorporates the remainder of the waist gripping means, and formed toextend around the other half portion of the wearers body and hips, separable slide fasteners for connecting the meeting side edges of the front and back portions into closed seams, lsaid front and back portions being joined through the crotch to form an outer crotch cover, and an inner crotch cover supported from said waist gripping means and joined to the front and to the back portions adjacent to the waist of each, and being unsecured thereto through the crotch portion, for free movement independently of and relative to the outer crotch cover.

LEONARD H. 'BACHELI x lll 

